Wednesday, 25 April 2012

A Mixed Bag.

Oh, what a time we have had lately. Thank heavens for school holidays! Honestly, I could write that last sentence here and just leave it at that.

This blog post was started during the school holidays over Easter but obviously I got sidetracked! We've had a carnival of weather fronts around here, and although it has now settled somewhat, into typical late Spring weather, I thought I would share some of it with you.

A few weeks back we awoke to this, my favourite kind of day, the kind of day when the veils between the worlds melt away and we find ourselves in some Otherworld, where even sound becomes different, and our footsteps echo strangely, the quiet breath of imagined Other~lings cool against our cheek.

These kind of days take my feet on a wander, down to the sea shore, and away into the hills, where People seem to have retreated away from this world and do not walk the streets, but stay quietly indoors away from the damp, the strange stillness, awaiting the return of the sun.

But not me. No, my feet wander, my heart filled with the monochrome silence, happy to be Lost for a while...

And then, one morning soon after, we awaken to find that Spring has arrived, the bluebells nod outside the window, the air stirs a little warmer and the children shed their winter skins, coats discarded in the garden, shoes and socks kicked off, oh joy! at cool, dry grass between their toes!

And the days warmed so considerably that the sea began it's siren call, drawing us to it's shores, promising summer days to come, filled with sandcastles and picnics and lazy days with nowhere else to be.

And even though the days turned wild and stormy again, still the pounding sea could not quell that growing Summer-ing that has taken hold of us all, now that the evenings stretch out their arms, lingering just that little bit longer each day, shyly hoping we won't mind.

And we did retreat indoors for a while, the halls murmuring with little voices, important business of the day beginning early for some, and for a while the focus was on Home, and Time Spent Together.

But as I said, the Carnival continued, and the sun simply could not stay away.

It's times like these, when little boys are being Little Boys, taking life by the horns with gusto, and revelling in the light and the few extra degrees in the air they storm through, building tents and making go-carts, and doing it all themselves when the grown-ups are too busy to help, it's times like these I catch in my heart, hold tenderly and with complete focus, for I know oh too well they melt away all too soon, drift away into teenagedom and a bigger world.

And although it's behind us now, here's a picture of this year's Easter tree.

We had a lovely break, with family time in abundance and not much else, other than good food and attention to detail.

But tonight, with a storm warning in effect, we baton down the hatches, and await the next dip in this roller coaster that is Springtime Weather, dolefully eye our sagging, leaky sand bags, and hoping the sea stays where it's supposed to, over the next few days!

18 comments:

I've not forgotten you Ciara. I have been lax in reading all the blogs I do so love. Too much on my table, priorities that call me. Here I stumble back at your door with the feel of a story unfolding in the words you write.

I realized that I missed your photos and words. The children growing by leaps and bounds I see.

The foggy photos eeriy indeed yet to walk in the dripping with the echo of your shoes on pavement...oh it does sound like something to try though I am not one for dampness.

Fog seems to give the world more depth...the layers are many and the world is muffled. I am like you in that I go out and wander about when others stay indoors. Lovely to hear your 'voice' again and to have you stop by for a visit!

Thankyou for reminding me of the goodness of spring by the sea. God, how I miss it. Oh! The storms!! How I love the spring storms and tide.. Developing hayfever in this big city- ME! hayfever? Awful. Just the photo alone of the coolth relaxes my soul and I can shut my eyes and just breathe... then I open them and sneeze!

Good to see you back, Ciara! This Easter was wonderful, wasn't it, the perfect weather and those rich blue seas and skies of your photos coinciding perfectly with the school holidays and allowing us all to abandon schedules. I hope you have a safe and picturesque storm: the wind is getting up here and the cherryblossom in everyone's hair.

Hasn't it been crazy! That week of summer in March was amazing and now today we are in the depths of a winter wilderness again... not to mention the thunder and that mini-tornado in Bray in between! At least we're not bored!Gorgeous photos as always!

I love how you capture those in-between days as one season shifts to the next. I'm with you about walking out when others tuck themselves away inside. Those are the days I love best. We're having a grey, drizzly day here, and I'll be pulling on my boots later to go mucking about by the shore. I can't imagine a better way to spend an hour on a day like this! Love your images--both in words and photos--my friend. xoxo Gigi